How Fernando Mendoza rose from overlooked 2-star recruit to Tom Brady’s $57m bet for 8th Super Bowl ring
Fernando Mendoza can become the next big name in Raiders history.
But the ‘perfect’ NCAA national champion at Indiana must first be better than 37-year-old Kirk Cousins and convince Las Vegas’ rookie head coach to make him an NFL starter.
Will Mendoza start Week 1 for the Raiders?
The Raiders spent more than $280 million in free agency within 24 hours of the market opening.
Cousins, who has $321 million in career NFL earnings, was then added in early April as a mentor for Mendoza and potential bridge starter for Las Vegas.
“Whatever decisions are made at the end, that’s fantastic — and I’m well for it,” said Mendoza, who signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $57.2 million contract. “I just want the team to win, so that’s where I’m at.”
Las Vegas opens its 2026 preseason on August 13 at Allegiant Stadium vs the Arizona Cardinals, who received a superb debut from rookie QB Carson Beck.
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The Raiders kick off Week 1 at home vs the Miami Dolphins on September 13, with the cheapest ticket priced at $238 on the secondary market.
Some NFL draft analysts were skeptical of Mendoza and it’s not guaranteed that the former Indiana star will be a Week 1 starter for the Raiders.
“There’s a lot of underwhelming,” said ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, while reviewing Mendoza’s game tape from Indiana’s perfect 16-0 season.
“You’re looking and saying, ‘First pick? First pick?’ I think through eight games, Ty Simpson’s tape from Alabama … is significantly more impressive.”
From Yale to Cal and Indiana perfection
Mendoza overcome multiple obstacles on his way toward college football history.
Once an overlooked two-star recruit from Miami who couldn’t get a walk-on offer from his hometown college, the 22-year-old Mendoza is now a Heisman Trophy winner, national champion and No. 1 overall pick.
San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle CJ West, who played for Indiana in 2024, praised Mendoza during the build up to Super Bowl LX.
“I got a chance to actually talk to him before the season started,” West exclusively told talkSPORT.
“He’s a great guy. You can see it through his interviews. He’s very passionate about what he does. He’s a really respectable person, as well.”
Born on October 1, 2003, the 6ft 5in and 225lb QB is officially named Fernando Gabriel Mendoza V.
Coming out of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami — where he recorded a 4.86 grade-point average — Mendoza was ranked as the No. 2,149 player in the country.
But when Mendoza asked for a preferred walk-on spot, he was turned down by the Hurricanes — despite growing up a mile from campus — in a move that Miami would later pay a huge price for.
Raiders dreaming big with eye on humble QB
With no Power Five scholarship offers, Mendoza initially committed to Yale in the Ivy League.
If that move north had gone through, it’s likely that the future college national champion never would have had a shot at the NFL.
A late offer from the University of California in Berkeley eventually opened another door, which gave Mendoza two seasons with the Bears.
He threw for 4,712 yards and 30 touchdowns, then transferred to Indiana to play under head coach Curt Cignetti.
With the Hoosiers, Mendoza completed 72 percent of his passes for 3,535 yards, 41 TDs and a 182.9 rating while winning the Associated Press Player of the Year, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, the Davey O’Brien Award, the Manning Award, the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
Mendoza’s personal motivation comes from a deeply athletic and resilient family background.
All four of Mendoza’s grandparents immigrated from Cuba to escape the Fidel Castro regime. The national champion honored his family’s legacy by delivering part of his Heisman speech in Spanish.
Mendoza’s father, Fernando Mendoza Sr., was a gold medalist in rowing at the 1987 Junior World Championships and competed for Brown University. He’s now a pediatric emergency department director.
Mendoza’s confidence and intelligence are key
Mendoza’s mother, Elsa, played collegiate tennis at the University of Miami.
The rookie NFL QB is the eldest of three children and has two younger brothers, Alberto and Max.
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Alberto served as Mendoza’s backup at Indiana during the Hoosiers’ 2025 title run, before transferring to Georgia Tech. Max is the youngest and is an aspiring athlete.
The brothers have raised more than $325,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Their mother has lived with MS for almost 20 years, and her battle is the ‘why’ that drives Mendoza daily.
The No. 1 pick earned a Business degree from Cal in just three years and managed one of the top NIL portfolios in the nation during his perfect Indiana season.
Learning from Cousins and taking over Vegas
“I’m sure he’ll do great,” West told talkSPORT. “He seems very smart. He seems like he knows what he’s doing and he seems like he’s very coachable, as well.
“I’m sure he’ll come in the league and have a great opportunity to play well.”
Mendoza had an estimated NIL valuation of $2.6 million, highlighted by endorsement deals with Adidas, Dr Pepper, T-Mobile, and JLab Audio.
He entered the NFL preseason with more than 1 million Instagram followers and regularly connected with his fans on social media.
“Excited to share that I’ve accepted an opportunity to join adidas!” Mendoza said on LinkedIn, which he regularly uses despite his growing fame.
“I’m very grateful for everyone who has supported me along the way and excited to bring my passion for sport, leadership, and work ethic to the Three Stripes. Let’s get to work.”
What could hold back Mendoza in NFL?
Mendoza’s impressive completion percentage is aided by a three-quarter throwing release.
He also displayed impressive toughness as a runner during Indiana’s national championship victory.
But the reigning Heisman Trophy winner must improve his ability to throw outside of the pocket and learn how to play under center in the pros.
The Raiders needed a new starting QB after Geno Smith disappointed and Pete Carroll was fired as head coach.
With the 38-year-old Klint Kubiak taking over in Las Vegas following the Seattle Seahawks‘ Super Bowl triumph, Brady and Raiders owner Mark Davis ($2.5bn net worth) have placed their struggling NFL franchise in the hands of a young QB who created perfect history at Indiana.
Cousins gives Las Vegas a proven veteran who’s used to the cutthroat ways of the NFL.
Mendoza’s football story is just beginning and he’s already proven a legion of doubters wrong.
It’s only a matter of time until he takes over the Raiders, who are one of the NFL’s most famous teams and in desperate need of an organizational makeover.
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